By Okechukwu Okechukwu
A trader at electronic market, Onistha, Anambra State, Mr Lawrence Onu has asked a state High Court sitting at Atani, Ogbaru Local Government Area, to uphold his fundamental rights to contest for Chairmanship position of Incorporated Trustees of Electronic Dealers Association, an umbrella body for his market.
Onu, who joined in the suit, the State Attorney General and commissioner for justice, Anambra State Market Amalgamated Traders Association (ASMATA), and others, prayed the court to grant an order that the respondents cannot exclude him from contesting for the chairman of Electronic Dealers Association, Onitsha.
The applicant, through his lawyer, Barr. Emmanuel Ezemanari urged the court to determine whether it was right to deny him the right to contest for the position of a chairman simply because he was not an indigene of Anambra state, and if the constitution of the market and that of 1999 Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended, allowed such exclusion and denial as a Nigeria citizen.
He further prayed for an order that all elections in the market should be conducted in accordance with the constitution of the electronic dealers association, and for N5 million to be awarded to him as damages, adding that section 42 of Nigeria constitution disallowed such exclusion.
He told newsmen that "Members of the market contributed money to build the market. The man that constructed the market is from Imo State and was chairman for years and another from Imo state was chairman for years.
When the present chairman came in, he started playing games, excluding none indigenes.
"He told us that Anambra state government and ASAMATA have passed a resolution that none indigene cannot head any market in Anambra.The market was individual efforts and government never contributed anything to its building. They do not have the right to decide the leadership."
But Justice Alexious Okuma of Atani High Court, after hearing the matter, has given 21st September, 2022 as a date to rule on the matter.